Episode 297: The Namgung Clan

Gwangyeomra led the forces of the unorthodox sect in pursuit of the orthodox martial artists, but the latter managed to shake off their pursuers and return to the outskirts of Kaifeng with minimal additional losses.

Thanks to Dang Mujin’s strategic use of poison at the rear of their formation, most of the unorthodox fighters had no choice but to abandon the chase.

As dawn broke and the sun perched on the eastern hills, the orthodox martial artists finally found a moment to catch their breath, collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.

Their heavy breathing gradually subsided, but with it, so did the mood.

Some had performed admirably, while others had lagged behind, but the undeniable truth was that they had lost the battle.

In the aftermath of defeat, it’s common for someone to step forward and assign blame. However, this time, it was difficult to hold any individual accountable. They had known from the start that they were at a disadvantage. The fact that they had escaped with minimal losses was a small victory in itself.

As their eyes wandered, they eventually settled on Hyun Gong. He had fought bravely and even displayed cleverness in aiding their retreat. Yet, his expression was somber.

The others understood the meaning behind his expression.

‘He acts as if nothing’s wrong, but the burden must be heavy. After all, the esteemed Hyun Gong had to lie in front of so many people…’

Hwahwa Nogae approached Hyun Gong to console him.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Who can live their entire life speaking only the truth? Sometimes, a little deception is necessary. Besides, your words were more clever than deceitful. No one would hold it against you.”

Hyun Gong replied with a heavy heart.

“True, clinging to a nickname others gave me at the cost of saving lives would be foolish. Such empty titles are better left behind. I may now be known as the greatest liar, but I have no regrets.”

Listening nearby, Dang Mujin pondered, ‘Is the world finally realizing Hyun Gong’s true nature?’

But the reactions from Hwahwa Nogae and the other orthodox martial artists were different. They were simply impressed by Hyun Gong’s deep consideration.

“A liar? Such rumors won’t spread. Who would dare call their savior a liar?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and only then did Hyun Gong manage a bitter smile.

Though he had played it off, his dark expression wasn’t due to fear of being labeled a liar. It was because his plans had been thwarted by Dang Mujin.

In truth, Hyun Gong had intended to stop at an opportune moment, stay behind, and be captured, planning to defect to the Demonic Cult at the right time.

‘If only I had been captured during the retreat, it would have been perfect.’

But Dang Mujin’s swift use of poison had driven off the unorthodox forces too quickly, robbing him of the chance to be captured.

’…Next time, I will succeed.’

While Hyun Gong refined his plans in his mind, the attention of the group shifted to the martial artists from the Namgung Clan. Only nine of them had come, too few to be called reinforcements.

The reasons for their defeat were twofold: the unexpected presence of Muyeonggaek had tied up Dang Mujin and Namgung Myung, and the reinforcements from the Namgung Clan were far fewer than anticipated.

The monks from Shaolin and the beggars from the Beggars’ Sect felt a twinge of disappointment towards the Namgung Clan’s martial artists, but the situation was not favorable for expressing it. After all, they were the ones receiving help from the Namgung Clan.

To complain about the size of the reinforcements would be akin to a drowning man criticizing his rescuer for not arriving sooner.

However, they at least needed to understand the reason.

Manryeokseung approached the Namgung Clan’s martial artists to speak.

“I am Cheonguk. Thank you for coming from such a distance.”

The Namgung martial artists, perhaps feeling a bit guilty, hesitated before responding.

“Ah, Manryeokseung. We apologize for not arriving sooner.”

“It’s alright. You arrived by the promised date, so you’re not late. May I ask where the others are?”

Manryeokseung subtly inquired about the small number of reinforcements.

The man who seemed to be the leader of the Namgung reinforcements replied.

“This is all of us. The unorthodox forces in the south have risen again, so most of the Namgung Clan’s martial artists had to remain in Anhui Province.”

“I see.”

“In fact, there was much debate about whether we should stay in Anhui as well, but our leader insisted we come to Kaifeng. He said that since we had already promised to help, we should send even a small number.”

“Ah… I understand.”

It wasn’t that they were withholding forces; they had sent as many as they could. The explanation was reasonable and easy to understand, and Manryeokseung’s disappointment melted away.

In fact, they should be grateful for Namgung Jinchun’s character in sending reinforcements at all.

Yet, the Namgung martial artists still seemed burdened.

“We may be few, but we will fight with our lives, so please do not hold it against us.”

“How could we? We are grateful for the Namgung Clan’s assistance.”

With a final exchange of pleasantries, the conversation ended on a surprisingly warm note, despite the dire circumstances.

However, Namgung Myung’s furrowed brow remained unchanged.

Unable to shake his doubts, Namgung Myung sought out the Namgung Clan’s martial artists.

There was no need to approach the leader among the nine. In such situations, it was often better to find someone more approachable.

Namgung Myung circled the Namgung martial artists, looking for the right person.

The Namgung martial artists had traveled through the night and slept during the day. But now, one of them was already awake and wandering around.

Namgung Heonwi, two years younger than Namgung Myung and his cousin.

Namgung Myung quietly approached Namgung Heonwi and spoke.

“Heonwi.”

“Ah!”

Namgung Heonwi nearly jumped out of his skin, startled. He hadn’t sensed Namgung Myung’s approach at all.

Clutching his chest, Namgung Heonwi looked up at Namgung Myung, half-collapsed.

“Brother!”

Namgung Myung smiled warmly.

How long had it been since he last spoke with a family member?

“You haven’t changed, still timid and easily frightened. Or have you become even more so? You didn’t used to fall over just from a simple greeting.”

“If you had approached normally, I wouldn’t have been startled. How did you manage to hide your presence like that?”

“It’s a little trick I picked up wandering the world. Even if I showed you, you wouldn’t be able to replicate it.”

“I know. I was just curious.”

Namgung Myung sat down beside Namgung Heonwi.

Namgung Heonwi wasn’t particularly notable within the Namgung Clan. His martial skills weren’t exceptional, he was gentle by nature, and his mother’s lowly origins didn’t help.

In his younger, more arrogant days, Namgung Myung had looked down on Namgung Heonwi, believing there was nothing he excelled at.

Looking back, it was a petty attitude, but at the time, it seemed natural.

Half of it was due to Namgung Myung’s own immaturity, and the other half was the Namgung Clan’s culture.

The Namgung Clan’s ethos could be summed up as ambition and survival of the fittest—a microcosm of the martial world.

The clan members were in constant competition, striving to surpass one another and elevate the clan’s name through their exceptional abilities.

On the surface, it seemed like a commendable approach, but the side effects were significant.

The competition was so intense that even Namgung Myung, the clan leader’s son, found the internal atmosphere more stifling than the outside world.

During his time away from the clan, working as a merchant, he endured physical hardships but found peace of mind, precisely because of this.

Namgung Myung had it relatively easy as the clan leader’s son and a leading figure among his peers.

For someone like Namgung Heonwi, the situation was different. Outside the clan, he was revered as a young member of the Namgung Clan, but within, he was treated as insignificant.

And self-esteem is a crucial issue for people, more so than one might think.

Namgung Heonwi spoke to Namgung Myung.

“It’s been a while since we last met, but you seem more at ease.”

“Living outside the Namgung Clan does that to you. You’d be the same if you lived beyond the walls. Why not take this opportunity to leave the clan?”

Namgung Heonwi couldn’t respond and simply smiled sheepishly, uncharacteristic for a Namgung man.

Namgung Myung lay back, propping himself up on one elbow and resting his chin on his hand.

Even from that simple posture, Namgung Heonwi sensed that Namgung Myung had changed somehow.

Namgung Myung spoke again.

“I’m not joking. Find an excuse to get out. That’s all it takes to start.”

“Ah, how could I possibly do that…”

“Don’t just live as one of the many in the Namgung family. Live as Heonwi, the individual. If it comes to it, you can even abandon the family name. You’ll find it much more enjoyable that way.”

Namgung Heonwi’s eyes widened in surprise. This was something the old Namgung Myung would never have said.

Like the other members of the Namgung family, the old Namgung Myung had once believed the family was his entire world.

“Are you not planning to return to the family, brother?”

“I haven’t decided for sure.”

“I heard the head of the family is proud of you these days. He’d be greatly disappointed if you don’t return.”

The last time Namgung Myung saw Namgung Jinchun was the day he lost his left arm.

He tried to recall how he must have looked that day. Surely, he had been consumed by rage. It seemed Namgung Jinchun had liked that about him.

Or perhaps it was Myung’s greatly improved martial skills that pleased him. Maybe it was both.

But now, Namgung Myung was free.

“My decisions aren’t based on Father’s feelings. They’re based on my own choices.”

“You’ve changed a lot… quite a lot.”

“That’s right. And you can change too. You don’t have to resign yourself to a role you don’t want.”

Heonwi shook his head slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

“So, what brings you to see me?”

“Just thought of you and decided to visit.”

“That can’t be true. You’ve never come to see me without a reason.”

He wasn’t wrong. In the past, Namgung Myung would seek out Heonwi when he needed someone to vent his frustrations on or to subtly belittle to ease his own insecurities.

But the current Namgung Myung was no longer that fool.

Ironically, though, he did have a reason for seeking out Heonwi this time.

’…’

Myung felt a bit sheepish.

He resolved that next time, he would visit Heonwi without any particular reason, just to check in on him.

“Heonwi, there’s something I need to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Is it true that the Namgung family is in danger?”

”…It’s true.”

Myung didn’t miss the hesitation before Heonwi’s answer. He continued without showing any reaction.

“Even if Father didn’t come himself, he would have sent Uncle Jinya if it were serious. The fact that he didn’t suggests the situation is quite dire, doesn’t it?”

“Yes.”

This time, Heonwi answered immediately. But Myung pressed on.

“Among the martial artists from the dark sects, who are the notable figures involved?”

“That… I don’t know. I wasn’t involved in the battles.”

“Fair enough. But if it’s serious enough to be called a crisis, there must be many dead or injured, which is worrying.”

“I’m worried too.”

“Who has died? Who’s too injured to wield a sword?”

Heonwi fell silent, unable to answer.

Myung let out a fierce laugh.

“So, the claim that the Namgung family is in danger is a lie.”

He could piece together the situation.

In recent generations, the Namgung family had grown remarkably.

It started as a humble martial clan, then became a respected one, and eventually a renowned one. Now, it was one of the most prominent martial families, not just in Anhui Province but throughout the central plains.

The Namgung family had been racing forward, surpassing long-established martial clans and sects one by one.

Many now ranked the Namgung family just below the Shaolin Temple.

This meant that the Namgung family’s next and ultimate goal was the Shaolin Temple.

But the Shaolin Temple was different from other sects.

There was no chance of surpassing it in one or two generations. The Shaolin Temple was, quite literally, unparalleled.

Even the hope of catching up in a hundred or two hundred years was uncertain.

‘Father.’

As far as Myung remembered, Namgung Jinchun’s greatest concern wasn’t the dark sects or the demonic cult. It was the movements of the Shaolin Temple.

There was no way Jinchun hadn’t heard about the Wooden Man Alley and the Thirty-Six Arhats Formation.

He must have known that if things continued as they were, the gap between the Namgung family and the Shaolin Temple would only widen, never close.

‘Father, do you want to stand at the top, even if it means bringing down the Shaolin Temple?’

Myung let out a deep sigh and stood up, patting Heonwi on the back.

“You’ve been a great help. I won’t mention to anyone that I got a clue from you.”

Heonwi hadn’t seen Myung in a long time, and their meeting was brief.

But in that short time, Heonwi realized that Myung had changed somehow.

“Brother, what are you planning to do?”

“Nothing much.”

Myung looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, and darkness was approaching.

In the distance, he could see the figures of martial artists from the dark sects creeping closer. He could almost make out the shadowy figures of the elusive assassins among them.

Myung spoke.

“Just making sure the family is running smoothly.”

So smoothly that it was hard to just stand by and watch.